


An Unplanned Holiday

by Noxtorious



Series: Sand Dunes-Winding Sands 'verse [3]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, M/M, Original Character(s), Sherlock hates guady decor, Valentine's Day, gods can be rude, holidays are overrated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-16
Updated: 2014-03-16
Packaged: 2018-01-16 01:14:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1326250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noxtorious/pseuds/Noxtorious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock really didn't want to be in the flat. Not when it looked like this. Especially with Bill doing something because his brother asked him to.</p><p>A (really really really really) late Valentine's Day special.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unplanned Holiday

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah I wrote this around Valentine's Day but am just getting up to posting it now.
> 
> I figure I should add this as a warning just in case it bothers some people but there's some religions that don't techinally exist in the 'verse in terms of gods and myths and all that.

"Bill."

That was the only word that Sherlock was able to say entering the flat. He had been gone half the day for a murder Lestrade called him in for. He knew he should have been suspicious by the smell of chocolate from outside. At first, he had thought it was Speedy's but he was horribly wrong. His eyes examined the red garland around the frame of the door including the gaudy lacy heart around it. Was that anatomically correct sewing of two hearts together? Sherlock peered at it once more. Why yes, yes it was.

"Nancy Drew! You're home! Good, you can help us set up more decorations." Bill said with a cheerful wave.

The nurse was standing on one of their kitchen chairs, trying to hang streamers from a glass quiver of arrows. Even Bill's attire was quite jarring from his everyday wear. He wore a jumper dotted with roses and tight fitting slacks. The sight almost overloaded his brain.

"I...what?" Sherlock found himself speechless as he managed to take one step inside the flat.

Now he could see streamers, little realistic hearts (was that glitter?), confetti and balloons strewn around. They were in various shades of pink, red, and white. It didn't help some of the decorations seemed to be made out of colored glass and my god, he was only gone for half the day!

"Don't you like them? It's Valentines Day after all. I always go with real hearts and well, the lace was more of Seraphim's touch. Plus, John is making chocolate balls and the glassware." Bill added, hopping down from the chair.

John stuck his body halfway out the kitchen at hearing his name. He smiled at Sherlock as a greeting, his appendages quite busy. He was holding a pot and stirring with two and tying bows with the other two. Both hands held a pile of red sand that John was blowing on; a soft tangerine mist leaving his lips and curling around the sand. Tiny shards of glass started to form and John molded the shape with his hands. Bill even managed to get John a jumper with the same pattern. Sherlock found himself sitting down to get a grasp on what was going on.

It frustrated him to have no prior knowledge of a situation and even worse, how to handle said situation. Especially when it came to the situation of finding the living room in such a state. He looked at John and idly wondered how exactly he was making glass of all things. Taking a deep breath, Sherlock decided to choose his words carefully.

"Why is the flat like this and who is Seraphim? I hope we're not having a party. I detest parties." Sherlock said.

Bill rolled his eyes at him, stretching out thin balloons with his hands. "It's a meeting for MSY. Your brother set up a meeting with Eros. Seraphim is Eros's second in command and Eros is dropping by after the holiday dies down tonight."

"Cupid is real?" Sherlock said in disbelief.

"Eros, not Cupid. We did a video chat and all that jazz this morning. I thought he'd be like sweet and happy like humans always portray him. Boy, was I wrong."

Sherlock raised an eyebrow and grabbed his laptop as Bill handed it to him. Both eyebrows went up at the picture Bill saved on it. Eros wasn't a baby nor wore a diaper. Instead, he was a man with five o' clock shadow and thick muscles. Sherlock tilted his head to the side as he realized the god was wearing a pink kilt in the photo. Well then, who would have figured that the god was possibly Scottish?

He looked to Bill for confirmation of what he was seeing and got a shrug. It was just a surprising thing to see. Every time they discovered something new, it was nowhere near what humans pictured. It made him curious to see what the second in command would look like since his preconceptions went out the window.

"John, should I know about any other deities that are real?" Sherlock asked.

John had finished his glass heart and was now etching designs into it. He nodded but didn't look at the detective, focused on his task.

"Some still do. The gods most humans don't worship recently do. The only one I know that doesn't is the one with the cross or whatever you call it. That was a joke the Egyptian and Hindu gods came up with." John looked up to see both men staring at him in what could be shock."It was funny for a few good centuries."

Bill and Sherlock looked at each other knowing that little tidbit of information was going to be a huge problem later on. It was silently agreed upon not to let that get leaked out. Sherlock watched the two work before deciding that he needed to broach the other question he had. Why did they have to have the meeting in the flat? Mycroft should have found somewhere to hold the meeting. He asked Bill again about Eros's second in command when a cheery voice rang out.

"I got some more chocolate and even found these cute little marshmallows to put on top!"

Sherlock turned around in his seat and tried not to gape. It was hard not to. He's seen many amazing creatures during the last few months but this was new. The humanoid was nothing like he'd ever seen. He gazed on the profile of a beach tanned woman with a pink iris and tight curled ginger hair. But, as the humanoid turned, he could see the profile of a fair skinned man with a blue iris and coiffed honey toned hair.

The female's face had tasteful makeup, showing how bare the male's face was. Both had heart shaped pupils (how was that possible?) and a excited smile. The thing was split clean down the middle. Even the clothes we different on each side. The female half wore a polka dot jumper and jeans that transitioned to a tailored white suit with a pink tie on the male side. In that moment, he wanted to experiment on their guest.

As if he read Sherlock's mind, Bill elbowed Sherlock in the side. It was just not on to stare.

"Sherlock, this is Seraphim. Seraphim, this is the detective I was telling you about." Bill said.

"Oh! The one who saved all those Strangers from such a horrible fate. It's quite a pleasure since my boss wanted to thank you for saving one of our commanders. The Mythic World is all abuzz about you, honey. I'm Seraphim. Second in command to High Lord Eros, #1 in the Supreme Love Class and #2 rank Changeling Hunter. " Seraphim said, its voice shifting between a raspy male and light female tone.

"I'm going to assume those are high ranks. Is it your fault my flat looks like this?"

"Isn't it charming? High Lord Eros requires some kind of tribute for his arrival." The humanoid turned around in a circle. "I think we might need some more help."

She handed the bags off to Bill and reached for a small white sack dangling off her hip. She untied the drawstring and stuck her hand into it, digging around for a moment. A look of triumph came onto her face as she pulled out a handful of marble sized glowing orbs. Once she released them, the orbs floated in front of her. Sherlock stood to get a closer look and poked one that floated near his head. Were those orbs always in there? Was it some kind of portal for storage? The sack couldn't have held at least two of those...whatever they were. He could tell Bill was curious too. Sherlock poked the shimmering purple orb again and titled his head as it let out the sound of a bell. The other orbs floated closer and bumped his hand, startling Sherlock with the feel of tiny bodies pushing against it.

"What are these creatures?" Sherlock asked as he watched the orbs continue to poke and push his hand.

"They're love bugs who are gonna get demerits unless they stop goofing off. Love Bug Squadron to attention! We need to make this place acceptable to High Lord Eros and it is your duty to assist. Your orders are help make more desserts with John and check in with me at 1500 for finishing touches. Understood?"Seraphim commanded.

The orbs floated away from Sherlock's hand and into a straight line in from of Seraphim's face. The bugs let out various bell tones and bobbed towards John who showed them where everything was. Sherlock noticed Bill had the mytholog out and was writing up a storm. At least there were no more garish decor going up. He did have questions that needed answering as well.

He watched the love bugs float around the kitchen with John pointing out various things to them. An orb that was bigger than the others rested on his shoulder, letting out bell tones that John seemed to understand. Sherlock hoped that they didn't make a mess. He had sensitive experiments in there.

"Is your 'High Lord' Eros so militant?"

"A little, but love bugs need a firm hand. Anything that descended from a pixie needs to be watch. Speaking of watch, there's only five hours left to get everything done and your not even dressed." she said, grabbing Sherlock by the arm and dragging him towards his bedroom.

Sherlock looked down at his clothes. "I believe I am dressed quite appropriately as I don't plan to attend such a gathering."

"Honey, please. You look like Death and I can tell you they dresses in the latest Armani suits. You need some brighter shades for your complexion. Bill, I'm taking him to get prepared."

Bill didn't even look up from his writing. He gave a thumbs up with his free hand.

Traitor.

________________________________________________________

 

If someone would have told Sherlock that he was going to be having dinner with Eros a day ago, he would have called them insane. But no, he was sitting at his garishly decorated dining table with the god of love himself. Specifically, the love god for the Grecian people and some of the Italians as well. The god himself was talking to John at the moment, both laughing at a joke that he told. He was sitting between John and Bill who kept elbowing him when he glared at the love god. It was not his fault. John didn't look that happy for the past few days. Bill was too busy doing whatever nonsense Mycroft asked him. He didn't want to be having dinner as he never ate on a regular day. He rather experiment with the skin sample Eros gave him.

Bill watched Sherlock sulk and rolled his eyes. He wondered how long it would take the detective to acknowledge his crush on John. He was guessing never until someone told him. Bill certainly wasn't. It was much fun. Taking a bite of his chocolate pasta, he took a glance at John. The sandman deserved some happiness in his life.

He chewed and tapped a blank page of the mytholog. He still needed to take a picture of Eros before the man went. The god was at least six feet and had the coloring of a milky latte. Eros's eyes were so blue that they were almost white and held a stern look to them. His hair could be the only distinctive look that would put him as inhuman. The loose curls pulled into a messy ponytail changed from a blood red to a soft white every few minutes.

Bill could admit that it intrigued him to know that human ideas of deities were hit and miss. The god before him wore a dark grey suit with a off white waistcoat. What Bill thought was the strange part was the gun hostler with two rifles in it and the briefcase that supposedly held a sniper rifle. He wrote his observations before deciding that he needed to clarify a few pieces of information.

"So Eros, do you mind me asking about the obvious?"

The god turned his gaze away from John, letting a huff. "The baby and arrow thing? You humans thought Bliss was me and he's a pain in the ass. I've been blending in for centuries. Before a few months ago, I couldn't rightly go around in my natural state. I do have the wings though I keep them as a sealed tattoo and my arrows changed with the long range weapons you humans made."

"I see. Well, what about the army Seraphim mentioned?" Eros shrugged and took a sip of wine.

"It's more efficient. I can't be everywhere at once anymore once the population kept growing. I recruit creatures like the love bugs." He motioned to the orbs nestled around a bowl of honey. "They're small enough to go unnoticed in fieldwork. Back at the base I have my troops. I use computers more often than not. That reminds me to mention the most important thing."

He turned his gaze to Sherlock, raising his glass to him. "I thank you from the depths of my heart for saving one of my corporals, Sherlock Holmes. I'll grant you any favor you wish for such a deed. Whoever the bastard mortal was that captured one my men, they will pay and you'll be the first to know."

Sherlock raised an eyebrow at hearing the words from Eros. He had been getting thanks and fan letters ever since the news broke. What was interesting was that Eros didn't know who had done it. He had made a speculative guess that some kind of creature had done the kidnapping. He had asked John since he was his only true contact to the mythical world. Unfortunately, John had no answers for either men.

"Not even one of the gods knows who committed the kidnappings? I find that hard to believe." Sherlock said as he narrowed his eyes.

"Believe it, mortal. I talked to Anansi and Coyote last month, Loki days ago. Tricksters usually have more ears to the ground than most. We deities try to talk to each other often and keep weaknesses secret. Other creatures even more as they are not immortal like us. No mortal should have been privy to so much knowledge though I'm not sure a god gave the info or not."

Sherlock looked delighted at the new information. In his surprise, John looked downright startled. The detective didn't understand why it was such a surprise. Secrets leaked all the time. He decided to say so. What he got was a look from all three Strangers like he was stupid. John put a hand on his arm and shook his head. Even the cheerful look on Seraphim's face turned grim.

"No, they don't. Sherlock, you have to understand that no one gives weaknesses deliberately. Not even to those we trust outside our races. I never told anyone what could incapacitate me. Gods have an advantage of being immortal but they can still be hurt. Don't you know the story of Osiris, Isis and Set? You never know who will use the knowledge."he said.

Seraphim nodded in response, refilling Eros's wine glass. "The vampires and werekin learned that lesson well. Now they're reduce to making mortals into their kind and always fighting."she said with a sneer.

Eros and John nodded in agreement. It was a shame what both races were reduced to not go extinct. Letting out the secrets that could kill them was foolish; the lies they mixed with the truth hardly helped. Bill couldn't help to take notes, no matter how the calm dinner atmosphere disappeared. He could understand where they were coming from. They didn't live for centuries without some kind of protection. Sherlock stared at John and tried to process what he was just told. Their world was unbelievable. Secrets so well guarded and lies told to humans to keep themselves safe. He wondered why some creatures made the choice to live with humans. He decided to probe deeper into the issue at hand. This was so much better than a boring dinner.

"You all believe that someone is stole secrets and helped this person out? How are you sure it's not one of you?" he asked.

"I've been alive since the damn beginning of the Roman Empire. They're deities as old as the universe. There's no creature alive named Moriarty. Some Stranger knows more than they should and told a mortal how to capture hundreds of Strangers. Well, those that you've found." Eros snapped as he stabbed his fork into his food.

"Or pointed out the lies from the truth, my lord." Seraphim added as Eros grumbled about stupid mortals.

"Or that. They're both pretty fucking bad." Eros said with a grunt.

The conversation drifted off to more pleasant topics after that. Sherlock looked put out that such tense discussion was over. It was just starting to get good. With a stroke of good luck, the dinner was a success. Dessert was being served when Bill decided to broach the topic Mycroft wanted. He cleared his throat to get Eros's attention and pulled out a contract.

"Eros, would you consent to signing a contract to align yourself with the MSY?" The god raised an eyebrow and stopped fending off love bugs from eating his tiramisu.

He snapped his fingers at Seraphim who took out a pure white quill and a bottle of ink from her sack.

"That's your new police force for Stranger related crimes, right? I heard on the tv you were even allowing us to serve. Most ambitious compared to other countries." he said, taking the contract and looking through it.

It would put him on the side of police force, give him usage to a lawyer in the courts and a visa to go through the country. In return, he would allow consultation on various topics and be liable in their courts for crimes. He didn't need the lawyer and he could care less about sides. The visa was a nice addition with humans so picky with their laws. The other side of the deal was no hassle. It could be fun interacting with humans directly again. He waved a hand, Seraphim handing him the quill and ink. He made note of the other signatures for future references on who to talk to. With a flourish, Eros dipped his quill and inked his name on the allotted line. It glowed pink before it dried. Eros handed it back. Bill gave it a quick once over before putting in his mytholog.

"I appreciate it. The visa and the other paperwork can be picked up at our headquarters in about two weeks. Do you need directions on how to get there?" Bill asked.

Eros finished his dessert and walked to the living room, clapping John on the shoulder as he went. The love bugs flew off after him and headed straight for his briefcase. The little bugs gathered the handle and floated after Eros.

"No, but thanks for the dinner. I'll send Seraphim as I'll be busy helping with White Day preparations this year in Japan. Also, make sure you get John to explain magical contracts to you with contracts like that. Seraphim, give him the Kiss and let's go. I got shit to do." Eros said, impatiently waiting at the door.

"Yes, my lord. It's been a pleasure. I do hope we can meet often. Oh, and John." Seraphim stood and whispered in John's ear, speaking in a language that sounded like hissing.

Whatever they were whispering about made John's face pink with embarrassment. The two sneaked glances at Sherlock before whispering some more. Sherlock couldn't make out what was said but he knew it had something to do with him .

"Are you sure?" John asked as the assistant moved towards Bill, the conversation over.

Seraphim nodded as she came to stop in front of Bill. She grabbed him by the face and kissed the top of his forehead. Bill sputtered in surprise and went to touch the spot. It tingled like a freshly healed scab and ticked his nose enough to sneeze. Seraphim smiled at the heart shaped lip prints on Bill's forehead. Mentioning that it would go away by tomorrow, she went to stand next to Eros. Saying those words were no comfort and made Bill want to see exactly what was on his head.

Eros waved a last goodbye and walked out the flat with his servants trailing behind him. Sherlock went to the window to witness how the two would leave. It was perfect for references after all. The people walked outside stopped to film and take pictures as Eros did something with his hands. It had to do with a kind of summoning because a carriage pulled by a black Pegasus landed in the street. It was almost hard to see with the flash of cameras. The god went inside with Seraphim going front to take the reins; she snapped the reins and the Pegasus took off into the sky.

Sherlock took his own picture for research purposes. He could almost say that the dinner wasn't as bad as he thought. There was a lot more chocolate than he used to. Turning back to dining table, he saw Bill fussing over the glowing red mark on his forehead. The man kept poking it, looking closer at it with a hand mirror.

"It should fade like she said. It's sort of cute."

"It's glowing, John! I'm not Dorothy looking for the Wicked Witch for goodness sake."

John laughed as Bill continued to be horrified at the mark. He moved out the way as Bill ran to the bathroom, talking about plasters. He shook his head and started to clean the table off. He glanced at Sherlock once and looked away as if dirty dishes were more interesting than him. The tension in the room seemed thick now that they were alone, the distant sound of the shower running in the background. Sherlock watched as John loaded the dishwasher before going to lean on the counter.

"John?" he said, wanting to know why the sandman was so embarrassed to meet his eye now.

"Yeah, Sherlock?"

"What did Seraphim whisper to you?"

John didn't avert his gaze from the dishwasher, making sure it was loaded right. He didn't want to tell Sherlock about the ribbons the assistant had seen growing between them. It made him nervous to know their auras were reaching out and twisting tiny threads together. If it kept up, John no doubt would have a tattoo by the months end. This was Sherlock I-don't-believe-in-sentiment Holmes. He saw the looks Sherlock gave him sometimes and more recently, the jealous glare he gave Eros earlier. Humans courted differently than what he knew and it was a minefield of messy feelings. No, John would tell him later. Little physical gestures would do for getting the point across.

The sandman had some thoughts to sleep on. He started the dishwasher and looked at Sherlock, slithering closer to him. Sherlock was curious of what John was doing and stayed silent. He definitely didn't expect for John to lean forward and press a kiss to his cheek.

"It's not important right now, Sherlock. I'll tell you later, okay? Goodnight."

With a gentle caress of a tentacle across the top of his hands, John pulled away and slithered out the room. Sherlock stood dumbstruck at John's actions and watched him disappear up the stairs. He touched his cheek and wondered if John had feelings for him. It was pure conjecture without enough data but a kiss was enough to start a hypothesis. A fluttery feeling went through his chest at the thought of John kissing him again. Shaking his head to get rid of unwanted thoughts, Sherlock headed to his room to get his chemistry set. He rather start on his experiment with Eros's skin sample than a thought so mundane as love.

**Author's Note:**

> Some world building notes:
> 
> MSY- Stands for the Mythological Department of Scotland Yard which was created in the encompassing months to deal with cases and documenting mythological creatures. Mycroft is the head (unofficially) who gives everyone their assignments and gather all information that is needed.
> 
> mytholog- Bill's catalog of creatures and observations that he has been filling for the past three years for his own benefit, and now as a job as the keeper of records in the MSY.
> 
> Seraphim- Eros's second in command should he be unable to act. #1 Supreme Love Class and Rank #2 Changeling Hunter in Cupid's Army. An amalgamation of a man and woman, a physical representation of love holding no gender barriers.
> 
> love bugs- A unique descendant from the pixies, these little creatures that have the appearance of children and the glow of fireflies. A race that loves to play above all things and a surprisingly hard work ethic, if one can get them to stay still. Because of the glow they give off, it is impossible to see their true bodies but the bell sounds that make give them away. Cupid uses them to spread childhood crushes and pays them in honey.
> 
> Eros- The Greek god of love. He's no baby like humans think as they keep mistaking him for Bliss. For a love god, he has a flithy mouth and gruff. He loves to shoot things.
> 
> The notes will go up on my Tumblr soon.


End file.
